6th Edition of World Nursing Science Conference 2026

Abstract

Retirement marks a profound psychosocial transition — one that nurses, accustomed to demanding, purpose-driven careers, may find particularly challenging to navigate. While some embrace retirement with enthusiasm, others struggle with the loss of professional identity, structured routine, and the deep sense of meaning that nursing provides. This presentation examines the psychosocial changes experienced across the stages of retirement and explores practical, evidence-informed strategies for cultivating happiness, purpose, and fulfillment at each phase.
Drawing on a three-phase framework, this talk guides nurses through the full arc of retirement. Phase One focuses on pre-retirement planning — the active, intentional work of anticipating psychosocial shifts, envisioning a meaningful post-career identity, and laying the groundwork for a fulfilling transition. Phase Two examines the early retirement years, often a dynamic period of expanding possibilities, renewed relationships, and the pursuit of long-deferred interests, with examples of how retired nurses channel their professional skills into purposeful community and home-based engagement. Phase Three reflects a natural turning inward — a time to prioritize one's own health, personal care, and rest — and explores how self-nurturing can itself become a profound source of meaning for those who spent a lifetime caring for others.
Throughout each phase, real-world examples illustrate pathways to positive retirement experiences, highlighting how the compassion, advocacy, and health literacy developed across a nursing career remain powerful assets in this new chapter of life.
This presentation invites nurses at every career stage to reflect on retirement not as an ending, but as a richly human opportunity for growth, independence, and the continued pursuit of a life well lived.